Switch-point-throwing mechanism.



S. LOOHOWIOZ. SWITGH POINT THROWING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 26, 1909.

Patented June 28, 1910.

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s. LOGHOWICZ.

SWITCH POINT THROWING MEGHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 26, 1909.

962,771 Patented June 28,1910.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

STANISLAUS LOCHOWICZ, 0F CAMDEN, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FOURTH TOWALTER DZIATKIEWICZ, OF CAMDEN, NEW JERSEY.

SWITOI-I-POINT-THROWING MECHANISM.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, STANISLAUS Loon- OWICZ, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing in Camden, county of Camden, New Jersey, have inventedcertain Improvements in Switch-Point-Throwing Mechanism, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide simple and eflicient meanswhereby a switch point normally set in one position can be readilythrown to the other position by proper adjustment of an actuating deviceon the car which is approaching the switch.

In the accompanying drawings Figure l is a top or plan view of myimproved switch point thrower, with the cap or cover plate removedtherefrom; Fig. 2 1s a View, partly in side elevation and partly inlongitudinal section, on the line aa, Fig. l, and showing the coverplate in position; Fig. 3 is a top or plan view of the device with thecover plate in position thereon; Fig 4 is a vertical transverse sectionon the line b?), Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a vertical transverse section on theline 0-0, Fig. 2; Fig. 6 is a view partly in elevation and partly inlongitudinal section, of the operating device with which the car isprovided; Fig. 7 is a top or plan view of the rear end of said device;Fig. 8 is a transverse section on the line (Z-cl, Fig. 7, and Fig. 9 isa perspective view of one of the elements of the device.

In the drawings, 1 represents part of one of the rails of the main trackand 2 the pivoted switch point, which, when in the position shown byfull lines in Fig. 1, directs the wheels of the car onto the rail 1 ofthe siding or turnout, and when, in the position shown by dotted linesin Fig. l, permits said wheels to continue their travel along the maintrack.

Suitably secured to one side of the rail 1 is a box or casing 3 which isprovided with a removable cover 4 and has secured within it, somedistance below the top, a longitudinal plate 5 which supports theoperative mechanism of the device. In order that this plate and themechanism carried thereby may be readily removed from the casing, it isprovided at one end with one or more lugs 5 which enter slots in thecasing 3, the latter having at its opposite end a lug or shelf 5 uponwhich the plate 5 rests and to which it may be secured by a bolt 5. Uponthis plate Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 26, 1909.

Patented June 28, 1910.

Serial No. 509,616. A

5 is mounted, in any suitable manner, a transversely guided slide 6, themeans employed for effecting such guidance, in the present instance,being a dovetailed rib on the under side of the slide adapted to asimilarly dovetailed groove formed in the supporting plate 5. Eitherpivotally or rigidly attached to the slide 6 is a projecting arm 7 whichpasses through a suitable slot in the rail 1 and has, at its outer end,jaws for engaging the switch point 2, whereby transverse movement of theslide 6 will be accompanied by corresponding swinging movement of theswitch point.

Depending from the slide (5 is a finger 9 having an opening for thereception of an arm 10 which is secured to the squared lower end of ashort vertical rock shaft 11, the latter being adapted to turn freely ina suitable bearing in the supporting plate 5 and having, at its upperend, a head 12 with projecting crank 13, the pin 13 of said crank beingadapted to a recess in the outer end of a switch finger 14 which ispivoted on the plate 5 and projects, at its inner end,

into a recess or slot in the slide 6, as shown" in Fig. 2. Extendingacross this recess in the slide 6 and located one on each side of theswitch finger ll, are a pair of'fiXed studs 15. suitably mounted on theslide.

The central portion of the supporting plate 5 is slotted for thereception and guidance of a longitudinally sliding plate 16, which hasupwardly projecting lugs 17 for the longitudinal guidance of a rod 18,the forward end of said rod having a head 19 which bears against theflat rear end of a bar 20, the latter being pivotally mounted upon thesliding plate 16 by means of a pin or bolt 20 being provided with aspearpointed head 21, a coiled spring 22 surrounding the rod 18 andbeing interposed between the rear lug 17 and a collar 23 on said rod, asshown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Secured to the underside of the sliding plate 16 is a lug 24: to whichis pivotally connected the rear end of a link 25, the forward end of thelatter having pivotal connection with one arm of a lever 26, which ispivotally mounted upon a lug or hanger 27 depending from the plate 5, asshown in Fig. 2. Pivotally connected to the other arm of the lever 26 isthe forward end of a link 29, whose rear end is pivotally connected toan arm 30 on a rock shaft 31, the latter being mounted so as to be freeto turn in bearings in a depending hanger 32 on the plate 5 and beingfurnished, near one end, with another projecting arm 33, which is freeto play in a slot 34 in the top plate 4, as shown in Fig. 3.

A coiled spring 35 surrounds the link 29 and is interposed between ashoulder at the forward end of said link and a yoke 36 which ispivotally mounted upon the lower end of the hanger 32. The action ofthis spring, therefore, tends to retain the parts in the position shownin Figs. 1 and 2, that is to say with the sliding plate 16 at the rearend of its travel, the arm 33 inclined rearwardly, the spear head 21 ofthe bar 20 occupying a position in the recess of the slide 6 just behindthe rear end or point of the switch finger 14, and the bar 20 being maintained in line longitudinally with the sliding plate 16, by reason ofthe pressure of the head 19 of the spring-pressed rod 18 upon theflattened rear end of said bar.

Pivotally mounted upon a depending hanger 40, or other suitable supporton the under side of the platform or other portion of the car, is an arm41, having, at its rear end, a depending hook 42, said arm beingconnected to a vertical rod 43 which is free to move vertically inbearings in a depending hanger 44 on the car platform and is provided,at its upper end, with a tread plate 45, a coiled spring 46 surroundingthe rod 43, and being interposed between the lower bearing of the hanger44 and a collar 47 on the rod, as shown in Fig. 6, so as to have aconstant tendency to raise said rod and consequently the arm 41 to whichit is connected. WVhen the arm is thus lifted, its hooked rear end 42 isabove the level of the top plate 4 and consequently the car will pursueits forward course without any action upon the point-throwing mechanism.If, however, the motorman or other person in charge of the car,depresses the treadplate 45, the hooked rear end 42 of the arm 41 willengage the upper end of the arm 33 on the rock shaft 31 and will movesaid arm forwardly, thereby retracting the arm 30 on the rock shaft andoperating the lever 26 so as to draw forwardly the sliding plate 16 andthe parts carried thereby. This will cause the spear-pointed head 21 ofthe bar 20 to pass between one side of the switch finger 14 and theadjacent stud 15, thus moving the slide 6 in one direction or the other,depending upon the position of the switch finger 14 at the time,corresponding movement being thereby imparted to the switch point 2, soas to move it from one position to the other.

Supposing that the switch point is in contact with the main rail 1, asshown by full lines in Fig. 1, the spear head 21 will pass between theouter side of the switch finger 14 and the outermost stud 15 and theslide block 6 will be moved outwardly, or toward the rail 1, and willconsequently move the switch point away from said rail or to theposition shown by dotted lines, and thus clear the main track for thepassage of the car. If, on the other hand, the switch point 2 is, in thefirst instance, adjusted to the position shown by dotted lines in Fig.1, the spear head 21 will, when it is thrust forward, pass between theinner face of the switch finger 14 and the inner stud 15, and will movethe slide 6 inwardly and consequently effect movement of the switch railfrom the posi tion shown by dotted lines to that shown by full lines andthus direct the car from the main track onto the siding.

Proper adjustment of the switch finger 14, corresponding with either aclosed or open position of the switch point 2, is determined by theconnection between the slide 6 and said switch finger. If the slide 6 isin its innermost position as shown in Fig. 1, the point of the switchfinger 14 will occupy a position on the inside of the spear point 21,and, if the slide 6 is in its outer position, the point of the switchfinger will occupy a position on the outer side of said spear point 21,thereby insuring the proper throwing of the switch point 2, whatever maybe its adjusted position when the car is approaching the same.

After each operation, the operating parts connected to the sliding plate16 are withdrawn to their normal position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, bythe recoil of the spring 35 as soon as the arm 33 has passed from undercontrol of the hooked end of the arm 41 on the car, consequently theswitch point 2 always remains in the position to which it has last beenadjusted by a passing car but can be readily shifted from one positionto the other by an approaching car.

In order to permit the hooked end of the arm 41 on the car to risefreely from the slot 34 of the cover plate 4, I preferably provide theforward end of the said slot with an anti-friction roller 50, with whichsaid hooked end of the arm 41 comes into contact as it approaches theforward end of the slot, and in order to laterally and horizontallyguide the hooked end of the arm 41 in its forward movement, I preferablyprovide the rear end of said arm with a rod or bolt 51 projecting fromthe arm over the rail 1, this bolt being provided with one or moreanti-friction rollers 52 for riding upon the top of the rail 1 and witha beveled roller 53 at its outer end for engaging the inner face of therail tread and thereby determining the proper lateral relation of thearm 41 thereto.

The action upon the rear end of the bar 20 of the head 19 of thespring-pressed rod 18 permits the lateral deflection of the spearpoint21, after its contact with the switch finger l4 and until it comes intocontact with the proper stud l5, and thereafter while it is moving theslide 6 in the proper direction, the rod 20 being restored to its normalcentral position as the sliding plate 16 is retracted after the lateralmovement of the slide 6 and switch point 2 has been eifected.

I claim:

1. A switch point-throwing device in which are combined the switchpoint, a slide connected thereto, opposite bearings on said slide, aswinging switch finger located between said bearings, and an actuatingbar interposed between said switch finger and one or the other of thebearings on the slide to move the latter.

2. A switch pointthrowing device in which are combined the switch point,a slide connected thereto, opposite bearings on said slide, a swingingswitch finger located between said bearings, an actuating bar interposedbetween said switch finger and one or the other of the hearings on theslide to move the latter, and a connection between the slide and switchfinger whereby the movement of the slide is caused to swing the switchfinger.

A switch point throwing device in which are combined the switch point, aslide connected thereto, opposite bearings on said slide, a swingingswitch finger located between said bearings, an actuating bar interposedbetween said switch finger and one or the other of the bearings on theslide to move the latter, and a connection between the slide and switchfinger, said connect-ion comprising a projection on the slide and a rockshaft having an arm engaging said projection and a crank engaging theswitch finger.

at. A switch pointthrowing device in which are combined the switchpoint, a connection thereto, a bar for moving the same in one directionor the other, a slide to which said bar is pivoted, and a spring pressedrod having a head bearing upon the rear end of said bar and tending tomaintain the same in line with the slide.

5. A switch point throwing device in which are combined the switchpoint, a sliding plate carrying mechanism for operating said switchpoint, a rock shaft having two arms, one for contact with an operatingdevice on the approaching car, a lever having one arm connected to saidsliding plate, and a link connecting the other arm of said lever to thesecond arm'of the rock shaft, a swinging yoke through which said linkpasses, and a spring surrounding said link and interposed between abearing thereon and said swinging yoke.

6. A switch point throwing device in which are combined the switchpoint, throwing mechanism therefor having as an element a swinging arm,an arm mounted upon the car and serving by contact with said swingingarm to move the switch point from one position to another, means forraising and lowering the arm on the car, and a beveled roller carried bysaid arm and serving by engagement with the track rail to adjust andretain the arm in its proper lateral position in respect thereto.

7. A switch-point -throwing device in which are combined the switchpoint, throwing mechanism therefor having as an element a swinging arm,an arm mounted upon the car and serving by contact with said swingingarm to move the switch point from one position to another, means forraising and lowering the arm on the car, means carried by said arm andserving by contact with the track rail to limit the descent of the armand a beveled roller which engages the rail and adjusts and maintainsthe arm in proper lateral relation thereto.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

STANISLAUS LOCHO'WICZ.

Witnesses:

HAMILTON D. TURNER, KATE A. BEADLE.

